Hop on board the GOTV - PA train 🚂

by Rabbi Nate DeGroot

On October 22nd, The Shalom Center is hosting a Hoshanah Rabbah actifest in Philadelphia, PA called The Great “Save-In.”

Hoshanah Rabbah - in addition to being Reb Arthur’s Jewish calendar birthday - is the final day of Sukkot and a day of supplication to YHVH. It is a deep moment of transition on our calendar and in our High Holiday season, marking a turning-point when we begin to pray for life-giving rains for the season ahead, so we'll have abundant crops come spring time. On Hoshanah Rabbah, we are praying for YHVH to save us.
 
This year's Hoshanah Rabbah also falls right in the heart of election season, with polls closing exactly two weeks from the start of the holiday.
 
Though we might pray for miracles come November 5th, we know we can’t rely on external or supernatural forces to save us. Rather, it’s up to us to help our own cause, ensuring that all voices are heard in this critical election. As the saying goes - and as Arthur has modeled for us over the years - "though we are not required to finish the task, neither are we free to desist from it." We must (try to) save ourselves!
 
That’s why, at the Great “Save-In” in October - and all fall leading up to the election - we are partnering with RAC-PA and OnePA 4 All on a nonpartisan Get Out the Vote (GOTV) mobilization in Pennsylvania, which begins now!

Why Pennsylvania? Not only is PA the home of Reb Arthur, The Shalom Center, and the site of the upcoming actifest, it’s also a massively important swing state in the election. We’re hoping that our list and broader network - meaning you! wherever you are - will jump on board the GOTV-PA train with us, as we pour our collective energy and efforts into The Shalom Center's home state, celebrating a different kind of “Festival of (Voting) Booths.”

At this moment, we are supporting two main GOTV-PA efforts: postcard writing and phonebanking.

Postcards

You have until 9/22 to order postcards through the RAC-PA's postcard campaign. This campaign offers you a chance to send handwritten encouragement to registered voters in PA from OnePA 4 All’s base who have low voter participation.

Order a stack for yourself, or order a bunch and host a postcard writing party with 5 or 100 of your closest friends, synagogue members, etc. RAC-PA set a goal of 18,000 postcards sent, so snail mailers, assemble.

Phonebanking

If you’re more of a phone call kind of person, RAC-PA is hosting weekly phonebanking sessions starting 9/11.

See the dates and sign up now to make calls to voters who are overlooked by the major political parties with encouragement and a reminder to vote. All phonebanking is facilitated through RAC-PA’s Zoom and there’s lots of support and guidance to be had. All you need to do is sign up and have a phone and a computer (desktop or laptop) handy.

Now that we've begun Elul and we're ramping up our High Holiday prep, we at The Shalom Center will continue to encourage you to take part in this GOTV-PA campaign, as part of what it means to take saving into our own hands. And, in the weeks to come, we will also uplift additional themes of saving that this season is raising for us and that we’ll be focusing on at this October’s actifest.

With gratitude and excitement to be showing up together for - and in - Pennsylvania this fall, and with many blessings for the season ahead,

Rabbi Nate